The Golden Compass : Lyra and the Republic
by Underworld's Darkest Rose
Summary: Lyra has turned eighteen. She has once again mastered the aliethemeter. She and Billy get to work on the Republic of Heaven. Lyra is saved by someone she once loved when she is attacked by gangsters. But Billy thinks he already has a full claim on Lyra.
1. Chapter 1

"Lyra, please hurry, we have no time to loose

"Lyra, please hurry, we have no time to loose!" Pantalaimon cried from up ahead. I spun my head wildly around to try to find him. I could hear footsteps behind me, they were none other than Billy Costa's. Even though we were both eighteen now, we still did everything we could to make it seem as if everything were the way it was when I was twelve.

"Found you!" Billy shouted. He and a band of other Gyptian kids pelted me with cherry pits. One hit the back of my head as I tried to escape. Pantalaimon's red-gold fur was in sight, he had the perfect hiding spot. His large lion-like figure loomed ahead. I scrambled into the thicket after him.

"She's going in the thorn bushes!" A kid screamed. This was followed by a chorus of loud groans. I snickered. It had been tough to catch me for the Gyptians. I was quite a player.

"Alright, we loose." Billy said. He had become my closest friend after my old best friend had died. And especially after I was forced to leave Will in the world of specters. I had nearly given up on all of my duties after I had left Will. I still went to our secret Botanic Garden every midsummer's day at midnight. There I could imagine him sitting next to me. But it wasn't the same. Six years ago it didn't matter if you switched worlds. It didn't matter if specters came to life with every cut the subtle knife made. Now it mattered. Only one cut was allowed in all of the universes. One cut that led the poor trapped people of the so called 'heaven' and the world of prehistoric leopards on wheels. There the little spirits could be set free and fly in the air as dust, individual thoughts and feelings.

"I win again!" I laughed. Billy waited for me to crawl back out of the bushes while the others had gone to find the rest of my team. Billy walked with me in silence for a few minutes. I had time to think about how wretched the heaven was. It wasn't what good souls deserved after so long. The souls should be set free, and they were. At least they would be until I built the Republic of Heaven. Then all souls would be allowed to either flow in the air like dust, or they could live happily in the new heaven.

"Lyra, now that I'm leaving in a few days, I wanted to ask you something. I'm not sure if you'll agree though." Billy said in his British accent. I stopped walking to look at him.

"Yes, Billy? What is it?" I asked, trying to be patient as he thought out his question.

"I'd like to well…I want to help you build the Republic, if you don't mind. I've already asked my mother! She said it was a great idea, holy, you know." Billy stammered. I smiled.

"Is that all, Billy?" I laughed. He nodded sheepishly. I took his hand.

"That would be perfect! I really need things to go faster in the Republic. You see, you have to use your demon to pass on to the dust world, sort of, then you have to kind of build the actual ground and stuff in the spirit world using dust. The dust you can see through an amber spyglass. It's pretty complicated actually. Even I barley understand it. I'm the only one who works on it, so it should go twice as fast with you there!" I said in a rushed but happy voice. I could sense Billy's relief at this. He had gotten sick of regular life all the time. He had once told me a year ago that he wanted adventures like we once had six years ago. This would be another challenge for him to pass.

"I'll meet you at Jordan College at six and then you can show me the dust, right?" He asked, still unsure of my building theory.

"Sure thing, Billy." I smiled. Then Pantalaimon and I ran off into the clearing. This time, I stayed low to the ground, making sure I would not be pelted with rock hard pits again. Pantalaimon was scouting up ahead.

"Lyra! Come on, get up, nobody's there." Pantalaimon argued. I hesitated, but then I stuck my head up to look over the waist high prairie grass. Everything was quiet. Nobody was waiting to hit me. So I stood up and started walking towards Jordan College.

"Good morning, Lyra." The master of Jordan said as I passed by him in the hall.

"Good morning, Sir." I smiled. Everyone looked up to me now. I was much more respected than any master of any college. In fact, it would be hard to find someone on this planet who was better respected than I. But of course I deserved all of this respect, I was the one, after all, who was building the Republic of Heaven.

"Lyra! Over here!" Billy called to me from the other side of the roof of Jordan. I waved a tiny bit then hurried over to where he stood. It was already six o'clock. I looked up at the sky, watching the sun go down.

"What are you looking at?" Billy asked. He followed my gaze. I pointed up to the transparent moon.

"Alright, we have a few minutes until in the north, the Northern Lights begin. When they do start, we have to try to separate ourselves from our bodies and float up. It usually happens in your sleep, like Dr. Mary did it. But I have been trying to do it awake, and so far, it's worked." I said. He nodded to tell me he'd understood what to do.

"Once we get out of our bodies and float up, we have to then use these to see dust. If you can't see any, think of good thoughts and more will appear. So then, collect it in this. It's a dust catcher. Then go to those clouds, don't worry, they won't move away. They are fixed there in place." I said. Handing him an amber spyglass and a large, purple pouch.

"Can this thing hold that much dust?" Billy asked me, staring at the mystical, golden sparkles. I nodded.

"It can hold a lot more than just the sky's contents. We have to make our spirits hover near growing children too, they have the most dust around them." I instructed. Billy turned over the spyglass in his hands.

"I can do that. Easy work you're doing here, Lyra." Billy laughed. I frowned.

"Tell me that when you've disconnected from your body, Billy. Then you'll know what it's like for just me to build an entire heaven in those clouds." I said, once again pointing to the exact clouds I wanted him to build upon.

"Alright, Billy. Try to separate yourself from your spirit, in other words, your demon." I sighed. This would be hard for him on his first try.

But to my surprise, he did it in a few minutes' time. I disconnected from Pantalaimon. I looked around me, I was in the sky. I willed myself to go back down to the roof, catching a bit of dust on the way down.

"This is perfect, Lyra! How come you didn't show me this earlier?" Billy exclaimed. He stuck out his pouch and dust streamed in, as if it were a magnet.

"Good, now keep getting as much as you can, okay? Then go to the cloud, remember, the cloud that doesn't move." I ordered. Billy waved me off.

"Yeah, Yeah, I'll remember." Billy smiled when the dust swirled around him. In some ways, he was still a child, never taking anything seriously. I smiled at the memories.

I floated upwards to the motionless cloud. On it, there was already a solid gold ground and a few houses I was able to make. The world of the dead led here, to an opening in the sky. I had already made this Heaven official. Now I needed some way to make it spiritually official. So that order would remain in tact in this new Heaven.

Something glinted near the ground a few hundred yards away from where I was. My head snapped up.

"Billy? Is that you?" I asked. I walked towards the glint. It slowly turned into a dark silhouette.

"Billy, it's not funny! I gave you a job here, you'd better answer me!" I scolded. Nobody answered. The silhouette moved towards me.

"Lyra?" It asked in a husky voice I had not heard for six years. My heart nearly stopped. Was it possible for him to see me here? Could it be that all universes shared the same Heaven?

Yes, it was true. It was him. It was Will.


	2. Golden Compass Part 2 : Lyra, Billy, Wil

"Lyra?" Will asked again. His voice was deeper now, but still recognizable. I was in momentary shock.

"Who's there?" Will asked, coming out of the dark shadows of the buildings. He walked to me.

"What are you doing here? Don't you know this is an off limits zone? Nobody is supposed to be here!" Will shouted angrily at me. His dark brown hair had a shaggy edge to it now. And he had grown more muscular than before.

"Will?" I gasped. Will looked annoyed.

"Yes, that's me. Now who are you?" He asked. I stared at him in disbelief.

"Will, it's me, Lyra!" I said. Will's eyes clouded for a second, but only to be replaced by rage.

"No you can't be. Sure, you sound like Lyra, but you sure don't look like her! Where's Pantalaimon? Not here. See, you're lying." Will hissed. I stepped away from him. He didn't remember me!

"No, Will, I'm not lying. It's really me!" I said, trying to make Will believe me.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid? I would know my Lyra when I saw her." Will said stubbornly. I sighed in defeat. He wouldn't listen to me.

"I guess you don't know her as well as you thought you did then." I muttered. But I really didn't blame him for thinking I looked different. My hair had gone from dirty blonde to a reddish brown. My eyes had gone from blue to a violet color. And my teeth were not as crooked as they used to be. All in all, I thought I had looked spectacular! But I guess Will was still stuck on the old Lyra.

"What did you say?" Will asked, annoyed again. I turned my back on him. If he was only going to yell at me, then he was not the same Will as before.

"Nothing." I said.

"No, you said something! Tell me what you said now, or else I'll make you leave here." He demanded.

"Lyra? Something wrong up there?" Billy's voice sounded. Then he appeared, only a few houses down from where Will and I stood. Will's body froze beside me. I was actually glad to have Billy interrupt our raged conversation right now. If this was how Will was, then I would have to settle for someone else. And that someone else I had in mind was Billy.

"Hey, who's that? Are you okay Lyra?" Billy asked, his face suddenly tense as he gazed at me. I wondered why he thought I was not okay. But then my senses sharpened, and I could feel wet tears sliding down my cheek. I wiped them away.

"Lyra? Did he hurt you?" Billy accused furiously. I ran to him and clung to him tightly. I let the tears stream down my face this time, making Billy's shirt damp.

"What did you do to her?!" Billy demanded in a loud, strong voice. He shot a violent glance towards Will.

"What are you talking about? I didn't hurt her! And she's not-"

"Shut up!" Billy interrupted. Billy pushed me aside gently and stormed towards Will.

"She's not Lyra! She can't be! Look at her!" Will said, glancing nastily at me. I turned away.

"Leave him alone, Billy. He's not the Will I remember." I said. I grabbed Billy's hand and tugged him to the edge of the Clouds.

"Next time, don't even talk to her." Billy spat at Will, who was struck by surprise.

"Let's leave, please, Billy." I pleaded. Billy nodded. He flew off the edge of the cloud. As I got ready to jump, a hand stopped me. The touch of Will's hand made me shudder lightly.

"Go away." I said. I was surprised I could ever say these words to Will, but now was a different time and situation.

"Lyra…I can't believe it's you!" Will started. He put a hand on my shoulder.

"No. You're not the same person I knew so long ago. Go find someone else." I snapped. Before he could reply, I jumped off the edge. I heard him yell something after me, but I didn't care. I would never care now. Will had failed the test of true love. He would have known it was me if he really cherished his old memories of me.

"Lyra, what was that back there?" Billy asked me when I reattached with Pantalaimon. Billy's arms were folded across his chest and his dark hair fluttered in the breeze. I bit my lip to keep from crying.

"It was Will." I whispered. Billy's eyes went wide with shock.

"You mean the boy you saved the worlds with?"

"Yeah." I said. I stared up at the Cloud, searching for Will's face.

"Why didn't he recognize you? You're not that different." Billy smiled. He held his hand out to me. I took it without hesitating as much as last time.

"Let's get out of here, alright?" Billy asked me, making sure I was confortable being with him alone. But there was no point in him even asking, he knew what my response would be.

"Of course, Billy." I answered.

"How about we go pull a prank in one of those bars, okay? Just like old times." Billy smiled. We used to pull pranks on every street before. But when he had said 'just like old times', he was wrong. Nothing would ever be like old times. Especially not now. Not when he practically had a claim on me.

"Yeah." I laughed at my own thoughts. Billy slid off the highest part of the roof, his newly recovered Demon, Ratter, slid beside him. Ratter had settled as a snow-colored wolf. Ratter was incredibly beautiful, but she was scary sometimes, too.

I slid down after Billy had gone. I jumped off the edge of the building, grabbed on to a long pole, then swung myself through the open window and into a room. I followed Ratter down the stairs, Pantalaimon was at my heels the entire time.

"Alright, now we have to get into that window, from that ladder." Billy instructed, pointing to a long, metal ladder. I nodded.

"What's our aim?" I asked mechanically.

"The round one." Billy grinned, staring at a fat man chugging down a bottle of vodka. I smiled, this would be funny.

"Look, he's coming out of the bar! Let's give him the Trip." Billy ordered, naming an old prank plan.

"You be the Tripper, I'll be the Ghost." I said. I liked to take the Ghost position, it was the funniest and required good acting skills.

"Got it." Billy replied. Then he zoomed off to where the man was. He and Ratter got the nearest rope lying in a trash can and held it very low to the ground. The fat man didn't see the two, and kept walking.

"Oof!" The man puffed as he fell flat on the ground. I chuckled, but glided through the darkness. Before the man could spot me, I ripped a bit of cloth off of my dress. Then I tied it around my head to make my face look like a shadow. I continued on to where the man lay, trying to get up. Pantalaimon headed to Ratter, silently.

I saw Billy reach into the man's pocket and take out identification.

"You have don bad things." I said, pointing a finger at the man, but I still stayed half hidden in the shadows, for full effect.

"Who's there?" The fat man cowered. I grinned to myself.

"Hayden Gire, age fifty-one, has four kids but two wives. His Demon's name is Gary." Pantalaimon thought, so I heard it.

"What will your wives think of you when they find out about the other, Hayden?" I whispered icily, leaving the shadows. Hayden gasped and covered his eyes.

"Go away! You're not real!" Hayden whimpered.

"Why should I leave, Hayden? I have been sent here to take you to the underworld. You will loose your Demon, Gary, and your family. You will loose everything! Then you will learn your lesson." I hissed.

"No please!" Hayden said. But he uncovered his eyes and crouched. Usually people that we Tripped did not try to get back up again. But Hayden was doing so right now.

"Stay where you are!" I warned Hayden as he approached me.

"Why, what a lovely face you've got there, Death Angel." Hayden smiled greedily. But what he was greedy for, I did not want to consider.

"Please don't make me go to the underworld, Angel." Hayden grinned. Then he leaped at me and ripped off the cloth that covered my face.

"You sure look like an angel. Too bad you're not, Kid." Hayden growled.

"Run for it!" I screamed at Billy. But as I was about to go back into the darkness, seven other men from the darkness appeared.

"Like my friends? They like you, too, Kid." Hayden grinned at me. Billy gripped me tightly. His body moved with the moving men like a shield. Pantalaimon's fur stood on edge, he was in his defensive position.

"Get out of the way, Boy." Hayden said to Billy.

"This one's all mine." Hayden rubbed his hands together. Hayden clapped, and the seven men leaped at Billy and me.

Billy tried to fight, he punched and kicked at most of the men that tried to take me away.

"Run!" Billy grunted after one of the men had bloodied his nose.

"Not without you." I whispered, too scared to yell. I punched a few of the men like Billy. But there were just too many. The seven of them got hit by us, but started to attack again after a few moments.

"Let me go!" I shrieked as one of them finally got me. The man's hands ran over me, and I shuddered. What did they intend to do to me? No, I didn't want to know.

"Get away from her!" Billy shoved the man away, but as he was shielding me, a bald man hit his head with a metal bat. I screamed as his body went limp in my small hands.

"Please stop!" I cried. The bald man would not stop hitting Billy. They were killing him! I rolled over on him and tried to protect him from the blows. But they only made me weaker. Weak enough that one of them even caught me.

"Stop that!" I yelled at one man who held Pantalaimon, stroking him. My head felt dizzy.

"Please." I whispered. The man holding me swung me into his arms.

"Put her down!" A voice called from above me. The man holding me dropped me. My head went blurry. But I could still make out His shape. The shape of my old lover, Will.


	3. Never leave me

Will dove at the men that had mobbed Billy and me

Will dove at the men that had mobbed Billy and me. His fist met with their faces in a dull cracking sound. I winced at it. Hayden looked confused. Will's new cat Demon bared her teeth at the men's crow Demons.

"Get away from here! Hurry!" Will shouted at me. I grabbed Billy's hand, he was actually pretty light considering his tall and muscular body. I heaved him away from the fight. I looked frantically for a place we could hide until the ramble was over. I spotted a couple of close buildings. The alley between the two would be a perfect hiding spot.

I towed Billy's unconscious body into the darkness. Then I slumped against the wall and tried to breathe normally. Suddenly, everything went silent. I didn't dare move, anything could have made them all quiet up.

"You can move now." Will said from the front of the alley. He moved towards me in a fluid motion. It was swift but angry, again. I stared up at him, unable to speak. Maybe he still hated me, or maybe he didn't.

"Are you okay?" Will asked. He sat down next to me. This entire time he hadn't addressed me by my real name. I nodded, still unsure of his angry mood. Was he angry at me? Maybe he was mad at Billy. Either way, he looked kind of scary when he was mad.

"What hit Billy?" Will asked. He knelt down next to Billy now. Billy shuffled a little. His head lolled to the side. I moved next to Billy now, too.

"What the hell is going on?" Billy asked suddenly. He jerked upright.

"Billy? Are you all right? Are you hurt too badly? I'm so sorry!" I said in a rush. I put my hands on Billy's head. Billy smiled.

"I'm glad you're okay, Lyra. And no, I'm not too badly hurt." Billy said. He put his own rough hand on top of mine.

"No, you're not okay! Look." I patted the top of his head. Billy winced, but tried to hide it in a mask of happiness.

"I'm fine. Hey, where'd you come from?" Billy asked, he had just spotted Will now that he was finished staring at me. Will shrugged.

"I was watching you guys. And then I just jumped after you two when I saw you in trouble. Good thing I came." Will said, standing up. I helped Billy up. Billy hugged me tightly, then he faced Will. His arm was still around my waist though.

"Thanks, it really was a good thing you were there. Ugh, what a twisted prank. No more for weeks now." Billy grunted the last part.

"Well, uh goodbye. See you at the Republic." Will said. I looked away, I didn't feel comfortable with Will anymore.

"Goodbye, Will." I said quickly. Will probably noticed my discomfort, so he left with quick footsteps.

"We should get back home, Billy." I said after I was sure Will was nowhere in hearing distance.

"Alright, but how am I going to explain my aching head to my mom?" Billy joked. I smiled a bit.

"You can stay at Jordan College if you like." I smiled meekly. Billy started to walk, pulling me along with him.

"Sure." He said simply. I suddenly had a feeling someone was watching us. I peeked up for a moment and spotted Will looking down at us. His face was a twist of emotions. I picked out sadness, betrayal, and anger. He was mad at me for sure now.

"I'm hungry." Billy said when he saw me looking at Will in the distance. I didn't move or take my eyes off of him. And Will didn't make a move either. We just stared at each other, reading each others feelings. Before I knew what was happening, Billy took my face in his hands and pulled me in very close. I felt his sweet breath on my face. I closed my eyes instinctively. I felt his warm lips press down on mine, move with mine as one. I put my arms around his neck…Wait, this should not be happening! Billy and I were only friends, best friends! But no matter how much I willed myself, I could not break free of him. Actually, I didn't want to. I was, shockingly, enjoying myself.

Will growled from the building top he stood on. His fists were ready to knock someone dead. But instead of coming down to punch Billy, and possibly me, he just walked away. I could no longer see him from the corner of my eyes.

"Billy…" I said, but my own mind did not want to say what I wanted. Or did I really want to say it in the first place? Maybe I didn't, but that was a scary thought.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." Billy apologized. He turned away from me. Now was my true test, would I let him walk away from me?

"No, Billy, wait. I liked it, don't punish yourself for it." I said. Now I was completely insane. I couldn't fall in love with my friend, could I?

"Really?"

"Of course, Billy." I said. Billy turned to me again. I held on to his hand, not wanting to ever let it go.

"Please come to Jordan. Don't let your mother know about what happened. I don't want to get you in trouble for some stupid fight, okay?" I reasoned. Billy nodded.

I walked down the empty streets with Billy. He held on to my hand just as tightly as I did to his. It was odd, I never imagined us together until now. But it suddenly made sense. It made complete sense. Billy had always been my second choice if Will never appeared. But Will's being angry all the time was just as bad as never seeing him again. So now, my second choice was my first. Or was it?

I was in my room now. Billy had gotten the room next to mine. It was the guest room. Nobody had even noticed me sneaking Billy in, so no problem there. The problem I had on my mind right now was that I was very hungry. My stomach growled furiously at me. I finally decided to get up and go down to the kitchen.

I tiptoed up and out of my room, Pantalaimon followed me just as silently. I slid down the stairs and slipped into the kitchen.

"Alright, Ratter, what will it be?" I heard someone whisper from the counter, but it was so dark, I could barley make him out. Billy stood with Ratter near the counter, snagging some of the roast beef from dinner tonight.

"Billy? Were you hungry, too?" I laughed as I neared him.

"Yeah. Hey, where do you keep the forks and knives, Lyra?" Billy asked. I opened the drawer that was nearest to me. I pulled out a fork and a knife, then handed them to him.

"Bloody hell!" Billy swore under his breathe. He clutched his hand. The knife had dropped onto the table.

"Billy! You should have been more careful!" I scolded. I grabbed a towel from a rack nearby and spattered water onto it. Then I dabbed it at Billy's cut hand. He winced. With my free hand, I reached into a cupboard and got a roll of bandages. I took the damp towel off and wrapped the bandages around Billy's hand quickly. I tied a knot around the last round.

"Thanks, Lyra." Billy hugged me. I hugged back. But it turned into more than just a hug. Billy's hands traveled down my back until they reached the lower part of my waist. His lips trailed down my neck. I grabbed fistfuls of his shirt with both of my hands and pulled him tightly to me.

"I'm not so hungry anymore." Billy whispered into my ear.

"Neither am I." I replied at the same tone. Billy swept me up and carried me back upstairs. But this time, he headed to my room.

"Forget the guest room." He muttered. I laughed lowly. I didn't really know where tonight would end up. I hoped it wouldn't end in something tragic at least.

Billy lay me down on the bed. His face was full of yearning, for me. But he turned himself away and started walking. I wanted him to be here with me though, to protect me from the terrible images of Will's anger filled face. I tugged on his hand.

"Don't leave me. Please." I whispered weakly. This seemed to be the last straw for Billy. He turned back to me and walked back to my bedside. He leaned his face into mine. His lips found mine. His kiss was intense, I wondered why.

"I won't leave you. I promise." He said to me. My fingers ran up and down his face. His eyes locked with mine for a moment. I could tell he wanted what I did. Beside my bed, Pantalaimon and Ratter circled each other. And at the same time we did, they kissed. Billy's body was on top of me. My hands lay limply on his chest. I unbuttoned his shirt at the same time he yanked off my top. I gasped at the perfection of his chest. It was granite hard and muscular. I had seen him shirtless before, but now I was bewildered in a new kind of way. I traced the planes of his chest, feeling every one carefully, to remember it perfectly.

"Lyra we shouldn't-" Billy started, but then he seemed to change his mind. I put my lips on his. I didn't need to guess to know that Billy would like this, especially when a low grumble of appreciation rumbled out of his throat. His hands moved across my body with ease, as if he had done this thousands of times before with me. His hands slid further than I thought they would. And I immediately knew where tonight would end up.


	4. What just happened?

"Lyra

"Lyra? You awake?" A voice asked. I could barley make out that it was Billy's. I opened my unwilling eyes. I was shocked to see that Billy had already put his clothes on. Though I was still naked myself. I looked around me, still dazed from last night.

"Yeah, I'm awake." I replied to his question. My hair was frizzed around my head.

"You need help getting up?" Billy asked. I nodded and held out my hand. He took it and pulled me up. A sudden rush of blood went to my head and I felt dizzy from it all.

"What happened last night?" I asked wearily. I could barley remember anything.

"Do you mean after the midnight snack or before?" Billy asked. He was clearly uncomfortable. I shook my head.

"After."

"I don't know, Lyra. I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have stayed. I should have left. I'm really sorry for it." Billy apologized. I suddenly remembered in very high detail what had happened. The touch of Billy's warm hands, his angelic face. The feeling that something had gone too far. I remembered it all clearly.

"No, Billy. I wanted you to stay." I replied. My body was sore from doing so much last night. I groaned to myself when I moved to get my clothes. My dizziness got the best of me, my knees buckled under me. Billy caught my flimsy body before I could hit the ground.

"Lyra, something's wrong with you." Billy said. He handed me some clothes, but these were not the ones I was wearing last night. These ones were pretty and new. I recognized them immediately, Billy had gotten them from my closet, the back of it actually. These were clothes I bought for fancy occasions.

"Are we going somewhere?" I asked Billy. He shook his head.

"I just thought you'd look pretty in it." He smiled. I went over to my dresser and put the clothes back.

"Rare occasions, Billy." I explained for my actions. Billy nodded grimly. Instead of the frilly outfit, I picked a regular dress, one that was gold. It actually reminded me of my mother's dress the first day I met her. I put my clothes on very quickly. I was determined to get Billy out of the College before anyone realized he had been here.

"I should get out of here before anyone knows I was here, right?" Billy asked. I smiled. He had read my mind. I nodded slowly, making sure my blood level remained the same.

"We can't go out the window, it's too far off the ground." I warned Billy. Billy laughed sweetly. It was this exact laugh that had made my stomach do flips in the past years.

"You think I can't jump that far?"

"No, please don't jump. We'll sneak downstairs." I reasoned with him. I took his hand and opened the door. But before I could even take a step into the bright hallway, Billy snatched both of my wrists. I automatically moved my body closer to his. He closed his dreamy eyes and leaned in for a kiss. I did the same. His lips and mine brushed softly against each other. The butterflies in my stomach grew again.

"Lyra? Is that you?" The Master of Jordan's voice rang out from behind us. I gasped and jumped back from Billy's kiss. Even Billy looked up in surprise. He still gripped my wrists.

"Master! I-I…" I stuttered. The Master hushed me with a wave of his hand.

"Lyra! I'm so happy for you. You've finally found someone. I was wondering when you might." The Master winked and left just as quickly as he had left. I stared at Billy, who stared at me even more confused than I was.

"I don't know." I answered his unspoken question. Billy ran a hand through his long, dark hair. It fell in front of his eyes. I buried my face against his hard chest and wrapped my arms around him tightly. Billy pushed me away gently.

"Not here." He whispered. I nodded.

"I'm going back up to the Republic today, after breakfast. I fell behind on the dust-building because of Will yesterday." I managed to say. Billy nodded.

"I'll be up there with you all day if you need me to." He answered. I shook my head.

"You're supposed to have the big game tonight, remember? I'm not taking that away from you. So don't even try to follow me up there. I'll be fine. Will won't be there." I said. Billy nodded.

"Then I'll be at my ship if you want me at night."

"No, be here, please." I added. Billy smiled lightly.

"Then I'll be here all night." He whispered, his lips trailed down my cheek.

"I'm going then." I smiled. He followed me downstairs and out the door. But instead, I climbed up the back ladder to the rooftop with my dust bag. I waved to him as I climbed the last step.

I collected enough dust from the air that my dust catcher was overflowing. I stepped onto the dust ground. Then I shook out my catcher. Then I thought of a wall. The dust slowly formed itself into a solid golden wall. I got up from my sitting position and walked around to another unfinished wall. But before I could even imagine a wall, footsteps behind me startled me. The unfinished wall shattered, the dust flew everywhere. I shielded my face with my arms, even though I knew it would not hurt anyway.

"Lyra, what are you doing here? It's still seven in the morning." Will said. I turned my body around to look at him. His eyes were still full of anger. But hurt flashed around as well.

"I came to escape the city…And Billy." I said quietly. I was still afraid of Will. The part about escaping Billy was only partly true. I really just wanted some time alone to think about all that had happened. I had lied to Billy about Will not being here. Of course he would be.

"Escape him? You sure didn't want to escape him last night." Will poisoned his words so that they hit me right in the heart.

"I'm sorry." I said softly. My eyes felt wet, so I turned from him. He couldn't see me crying, not now. Will put an arm on my shoulder.

"No, I should be sorry. I was spying on you two the entire night." Will admitted. I gasped and stepped away from him. How much had he seen?

"You did what?" I asked, truly alarmed. I stared at him, how could he do something like that?

"I said I was sorry, geez." Will said rudely. The tears overfilled my eyes and spilled out. I was about to wipe them away, but Will's hand beat me to them. I slapped his hand away. Will's face flashed an even stronger version of hurt now. I immediately felt terrible for doing what I did.

"Why'd you have to leave me for so long?" I burst out sobbing. Will reached for my hands, but ended up touching my face instead. He and I both hugged each other fiercely. I felt his body shake against mine. I realized he was crying just as hard as I was.

"I'm so sorry. I never wanted to. I always thought about you. I sat at the bench in the Botanic Garden everyday, trying to feel you there. I never thought I'd see you again." He sobbed. My hair went damp with his tears. I was sure his hair was wet with my tears too.

"I tried to forget about you. But all I could ever forget about you even after six years was the way you looked. That's why I didn't recognize you at first." Will continued. He was calmer now. he stroked my hair. My hands were tangled in his darkly colored hair.

"It's ok, Will. I look different now." I said. I lifted my face to look at him. He hadn't changed as much as I had. He looked more manly, but still the same Will.

"You're right you do! What happened to your hair? It's kinda red now." Will laughed holding a lock of curly hair up for me to see. I smiled at his simple action. So now he really did believe it was me.

"I don't know what happened to my hair." I answered his question. Will picked up some nearby dust. It floated around his hand.

"Lyra, about last night, I was lying. I really didn't spy on you for that long. I left after you and Billy came into your room." Will said, distracting himself with the dust. I automatically took his hand off of my waist. Will's forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"Why'd you spy on me?" I asked him lowly. Will took my hand again, and when I tried to shake it off, he only tightened his grip. The butterflies returned to my stomach.

"I don't know. I guess I got kind of jealous of how you treated Billy yesterday. You ran to him when I was being mean and he protected you. The way I would have if we had stayed together." Will admitted. I looked into his deep brown eyes.

"I should have known. I didn't do it on purpose, you know." I explained. He nodded understandingly. He pulled me close once again.

"This might just be the happiest moment I've ever had in six years, thanks to you." Will breathed. He stroked my hair again. It seemed like he liked my hair better than my old hair.

"Will, I can't-" I began, but I was cut off by a pressure on my lips. I locked my arms around Will's. But when Will's hand trailed down my spine, I knew we had gone further than I had expected of today. Will's other hand was at my waist. I wanted to break away, but his hold was too strong for me to even try. Will really did not want to let go of me!

"Will, no!" I snapped at him. Will still didn't let go of me.

"Please don't stop me now Lyra. I've been waiting so long for this. Six years, Lyra! Six years. I need you now. Never tell me to stop, please." He said roughly. His voice cracked here and there.

"You have to come with me to my world, Lyra. I want you to meet my mother, please. I've been telling her all about you. But she never believed me." Will said as he slid his lips down to my throat. I shook him off.

"Your mother?" I asked. What was happening? This wasn't supposed to happen! Will was sealing the relationship by doing this. But I would do it for his sake, and possibly my own. I nodded slowly.

"Wow. Come on then!" Will said taking my hand. He walked towards the other end of the dust grass that I had come from.

"Jump!" He said, suddenly excited. I leaped off from the dust grass. I felt as I were suspended in mid air.


	5. Why can't she see me?

I stared down at the ground in utter confusion

I stared down at the ground in utter confusion. Why was time so slow in this world? Why didn't I just land like I did in my own world? What on earth was going on?

The confusion from weeks ago finally hit me. I mean, Billy? What was I thinking? Didn't my heart belong to Will? And why had Billy played along? He knew I still had emotions for Will, too. Why had I forgotten Will in the first place?

WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO ME?...

All of these questions ended in 'I'm a crazy person now.'. And it was true. I hated to leave Billy, he and I had grown up together. But Will was someone I loved way more, and yet I couldn't seem to tell him how much.

It was like we had grown apart too much, and yet we where together all along.

"Lyra?" Will asked me, suddenly very worried. I looked at his perfect face. His dark hair had grown out longer than before. It was the first time I really noticed it. and his eyes had grown hopeful, brighter. They no longer looked black, they where a brownish color.

"Yes, Will?" I asked. My feet touched the rooftop of a giant rectangular building. I gasped, there where giant squares all around us! I personally preferred the buildings in Jordan better.

"Ugly, isn't it? Too industrial. But this is it." Will smiled. He grabbed my hand and went to the edge of the building. He looked down as if inspecting the best way to get down safely.

And then, without warning, his arm tightened on my waist and he plunged down into the air, taking me with him.

"Will!" I screamed. Was he trying to kill himself? Or was it me he was trying to kill?

"I do this all the time!" He shouted back even though I was inches away from him. I still had trouble hearing, the wind whipped around me and made a sound barrier.

Will stared at a little ledge that stuck out from one of the open windows. He caught hold of it within milliseconds and swung us both into the room.

The room was quiet. A low murmur came from another door in the room. I recognized a face I had thought had disappeared along with will a long time ago. Dr. Mary jumped up in surprise. Her hair had grown white and her eyes bleak. But as she saw me, they grew expectant and joyful.

"Dr. Mary?!" I managed to blurt. Dr. Mary grinned a grin full of perfectly white teeth. She rushed over to me and gave me a bear hug. I didn't care that I was being suffocated at the moment.

"Lyra! Oh, Lyra! How did you get here?" Dr. Mary asked me. Her demon fluttered to her shoulder. It was a bird of some sort.

"The same way Will gets into my world. The Republic of Heaven!" I exclaimed. I gazed around the room for a quick second.

"Will, congratulations, you finally found her." Dr. Mary smiled. Dr. Mary's science equipment was neatly in the other room, I could tell because the door was partly open.

"Come on, Lyra, we need to show my Mom that you're not imaginary." Will smiled and led me over to another door I hadn't seen before. He opened it lightly and went inside without making too much noise.

"Mom, are you awake?" Will asked into the thin air. A weak response was mumbled from one of the two beds in here. I guessed Dr. Mary slept in the other bed next to Will's Mother's. The other bedside table was full of science notes.

"Mom, this is Lyra." Will introduced me with care. I peered over his shoulder to glimpse an old woman, but not as old as Dr. Mary. She looked frail, as if she had a terrible illness that could not be cured.

"Where? She's not real, honey." Will's Mother smiled a smile full of pity at Will. Will's mouth just hung open.

"Mom, she's right here. You told me to bring her here the day I found her. And here she is!" Will said pulling me from behind him. His hands shook on my arms, what was his problem?

"There's nobody there." Will's Mother said simply. I looked at her in confusion. And Will just left the room in anger. I sat down next to Will's Mother on her bed. She looked straight ahead like I wasn't there.

"Hello." I greeted. But still, Will's mother picked up a newspaper and ignored me.

"Lyra, it's no use. Come on." Will dragged me back to the main room. He sat me down at a table. He looked very troubled.

"Why can't she see me? Am I like a ghost in this world? Can no one see me here except those who I already know?" I asked I in a hurry. Will shook his head sadly.

"No, Lyra. She has problems. Those she doesn't want to see, she really doesn't. And I don't know how she does it, but she's been doing it her entire life." Will explained. I sat there listening baffled.

"Will, why doesn't she want to see me?"

"She thinks I'll leave her and go to your world if I ever found you." Will smiled and held my hand. With my free hand, I swiped the hair that fell to my face away.

Will got up from the table slowly. I rose up with him.

"Lyra, will you at least stay here for one day? I want you to see my entire world. Please don't say no." Will pleaded. His eyes searched mine for a faster answer.

"Of course, Will." I agreed. "But where would I stay?" I asked. Will smiled and then took my arm.

"How about I'll show you where you're going to stay instead of just saying it."

He grinned and led me to the door. Dr. Mary waved to me and said goodbye.

Will and both said goodbye back to her. And then we left.

Will led me to a different building in front of some University called Oxford. It

was directly across from it. He led me up to nearly the top of the large building. It was a

lot taller than Dr. Mary's apartment. The room he took me into was his own apartment.

Will went to Oxford University. He studied there just like I studied at my own

College.

"Like it?"

"Yes." I replied. There where two beds in this room. He only needed one, but I guessed he must have a roommate or something.

"Yes, I have a roommate. But she won't be disturbing us tonight."

"She?" I asked, suddenly jealous.

"Yes, her name is Rina Ganny. She lives with me here. Oh, you're jealous, aren't you, Lyra?" Will laughed.

"She barley lives here, don't worry. She's at her boyfriend's apartment all the

time. She only comes here if the Dean of the school is making sure everyone is in the

assigned room."

"Oh." I smiled. But right then, a knock sounded from the door. And Will stared at

it as if he would have a heart attack and mumbled 'no'.

The door opened and in stepped a very pretty brunette girl. She gasped at the sight

of me. Then she stared at Will's hand around my waist.

"Will! I thought you said it was only you and me forever!" She cried. She glared

at me.

"I can explain!" Will said holding me furiously tight. I stared into his eyes, but all I saw was the truth. Or was it?


End file.
